Chile and Venezuela agree to normalize relations after 2024 rupture

Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced Thursday that his government has reached an agreement with Venezuela to re-establish bilateral relations, including the reopening of consular services. The two nations severed ties in 2024 amid tensions between the then-leaders, Boric and Nicolás Maduro. In July 2024, Venezuela ordered its diplomatic staff out of Chile and six other countries after they questioned the results of the elections in which Maduro declared himself the winner.

The normalization of relations is a significant step for Boric's administration, which seeks to manage the approximately 700,000 Venezuelans residing in Chile, the largest Venezuelan community in any country. Boric stated that this "transcendent agreement" allows for a step-by-step normalization, marking a "new stage" for both nations.

The rupture of diplomatic ties had hindered Chile's immigration policy, as Boric aims to expel a significant portion of the estimated 330,000 undocumented migrants in Chile, most of whom are Venezuelan. Without formal relations, the Chilean government struggled to coordinate repatriations.

Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna indicated that a date for reopening consulates has not yet been set, but a consular affairs chief will travel to Caracas this weekend to facilitate the process. Once operational, these offices will allow Venezuelan residents in Chile to "update their papers and begin to normalize" their migratory status. This diplomatic thaw follows Chile's recent dispatch of humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Venezuela after devastating earthquakes.